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London People II
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London People II

(The Intro below is from London People I)

In the mid 1960s I had an assignment from Holiday Magazine to shoot people of Paris. It worked out fine. I got eight pages, and that was that.

So I got the idea to do it in London. One of the reasons was that I was impressed with the many faces that obviously were not English: Moroccan, Nigerian, Asian, etc. But as I got into the assignment I realized that most of my images were of the English.

To me, they were exotic as anyone else. I find the English wonderfully eccentric, colorful, individualistic, and wholly without subterfuge. They are what they are. They’ve been this way forever and they wouldn’t think of changing. It also helped that I almost speak the language.

Some time ago I tried to classify people’s reaction to being photographed.

For instance, the Italians pose, they are proud, they know they’re beautiful. The Japanese want to take your picture. The Germans want to know if you have permission, etc, etc.

I always thought of the English reaction: they look behind their back to see who you’re really photographing.

They’re not self-conscious nor did they show off, pose, mug for the camera or otherwise dilute what I was trying to do. It was a gas.

Man Kissing Woman, Motorcycle, London
Man Kissing Woman, Motorcycle, London
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Two Police Officers, London
Two Police Officers, London
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Young Boys "Mugging" for Camera, London
Young Boys "Mugging" for Camera, London
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Man with Pile of Cabbages, London
Man with Pile of Cabbages, London
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Smiling Young Woman in Bus, London
Smiling Young Woman in Bus, London
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Man Reading in Park, London
Man Reading in Park, London
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Woman in front of Marilyn Monroe Pictures, London
Woman in front of Marilyn Monroe Pictures, London
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Two People on Grass, London
Two People on Grass, London
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Rain, Crowd, Soccer Game London
Rain, Crowd, Soccer Game London
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Old London Stock Exchange, London
Old London Stock Exchange, London
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Man Getting Out of Car, London
Man Getting Out of Car, London
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Heads of Men, Stock Exchange, London
Heads of Men, Stock Exchange, London
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Man Walking, Bowler Hat, Umbrella, Paper, London
Man Walking, Bowler Hat, Umbrella, Paper, London
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Two Men, One Holding the Others Elbow, London
Two Men, One Holding the Others Elbow, London
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Two Men Talking, One Looking Down, London
Two Men Talking, One Looking Down, London
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Mother and Child, Man in Blue, London
Mother and Child, Man in Blue, London
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Young Couple Smiling, Touching, London
Young Couple Smiling, Touching, London
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Older Woman with Clasped Hands, London
Older Woman with Clasped Hands, London
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Front of London Bus, Driver Shielding Eyes, London
Front of London Bus, Driver Shielding Eyes, London
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Couple Holding Hands, Red Bus in Background, London
Couple Holding Hands, Red Bus in Background, London
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Boy Holding Wooden Figure of Girl, London
Boy Holding Wooden Figure of Girl, London
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Woman in Red with White Handbag, London
Woman in Red with White Handbag, London
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Mom and Child, Close-up, London
Mom and Child, Close-up, London
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Boy Sitting on Crate, Profile, London
Boy Sitting on Crate, Profile, London
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Kids on Huge Lion Statue, London
Kids on Huge Lion Statue, London
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Row of "Bizarre" Kids
Row of "Bizarre" Kids
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Window Dresser, Manikins, London
Window Dresser, Manikins, London
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Mom, Dad, Kid Holding Mom's Dress, London
Mom, Dad, Kid Holding Mom's Dress, London
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Two Young Girls Talking, Walking, London
Two Young Girls Talking, Walking, London
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Petticoat Lane and Self Portrait, London
Petticoat Lane and Self Portrait, London
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Woman, Teacup, London
Woman, Teacup, London
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Workers Relaxing, London
Workers Relaxing, London
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Woman with Camera and Child, London
Woman with Camera and Child, London
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Crowd on Line, London
Crowd on Line, London
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Wet Window, Woman in Green, London
Wet Window, Woman in Green, London
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Cop, Horse, Crowd, London
Cop, Horse, Crowd, London
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Two Men Outside of Bar, London
Two Men Outside of Bar, London
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Three People Pointing, Piccadilly, London
Three People Pointing, Piccadilly, London
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Market with Mirrors, London
Market with Mirrors, London
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Three Musicians, London
Three Musicians, London
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Park, Woman Sewing, Man and Woman with Child, London
Park, Woman Sewing, Man and Woman with Child, London
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Mother, Child with Flag, London
Mother, Child with Flag, London
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David Bailey, Arnold Newman, Terry Donovan, Brian Duffy, London
David Bailey, Arnold Newman, Terry Donovan, Brian Duffy, London
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Man Eating, Frosted Window, London
Man Eating, Frosted Window, London
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Man Smoking, with Bird, London
Man Smoking, with Bird, London
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Two Young Men, Fountain, London
Two Young Men, Fountain, London
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Royal Carriage at Parade, London
Royal Carriage at Parade, London
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Nannies and Kids in Park, London
Nannies and Kids in Park, London
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Giving Orders, London
Giving Orders, London
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End of London People II_london-people-17Two8Men8Arguing8London
End of London People II_london-people-17Two8Men8Arguing8London
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